Aligarh Alumni Association PO Box 1877, Ellicott City MD 21041

410-531-9492

April 2014

April 2014 News letter to Community

News from Washington Area
The Aligarh Alumni Association of Washington DC (AAA) has planned a series of rich and colorful events, cultural, literary and entertaining, to celebrate its 40th year of unbroken community service. Tickets for first of the programs, only a month away, are now available by clicking here.

By providing the following list of proposed events this early, the AAA is hoping to avoid any conflicts with the events planned by our sister organizations in the DC area. More details about individual programs will be forthcoming as the time nears.

  • Friday, May 30, 2014 – Entertainment (Ghazals: by Radhika Chopra)
  • Saturday, June 21, 2014 – Annual Picnic
  • Saturday, July 12, 2014 – Iftar Fundraising
  • Saturday, August 23, 2014 – Entertainment (Play: Mai Rahi Masoom)
  • Saturday, September 27, 2014 – 40th SS Annual Mushaira
  • Sunday, September 28, 2014 – SS Day Memorial Celebration
  • Saturday, October 11, 2014 – Entertainment (Quawwali Program)

 

The Scholarship Program Continues to Flourish:  During 2013, the number of AMU scholarships was increased from 230 to 240, and the amount of individual scholarship from Rs 5,000 to Rs 6,000.  The total amount of money sent for AMU scholarship in 2013 was Rs 1,440,000 (about $24,000). For the Feeder program, AAA funded 16 units, benefiting 800 students in various parts of India at a cost of Rs 1,150,000 (about $19,200).  The total amount invested in the two programs was $43,200, benefiting 1,040 students.

 
News from AMU
Tibbiya College Dawkhana: The Vice Chancellor, Lt Gen (Retd) Zameer Uddin Shah laid the foundation stone of a new Tibbiya College Dawakhana near University Fort. He expressed the hope that the popularity of Unani medicine would increase, and the Dawakhana would emerge as the best center for production of Unani pharmaceuticals in the country.

World Health Day: The Department of Community Medicine, JN Medical College, organized a program to mark World Health Day 2014. The program was aimed at generating awareness of the vector-borne diseases, especially malaria and dengue, and educating people about preventive measures. Inaugurating the program, Professor Zulfia Khan said that a large number of people still get infected with and die of malaria, which is one of the greatest tragedies of the 21st century.

Workshop on Counseling: AMU Kishanganj Centre, Bihar, is organizing a two-day workshop from April 4-5, 2014, on guidance, counseling and soft skills for B.Ed. students. The aim of the workshop is to bring together B. Ed. faculty members and teacher-trainees, studying at the AMU Kishanganj, with local school teachers and administrators to share insights into best practices for guidance, counseling and soft skills.

Asian Youth Summit: Two AMU students from the Faculty of Engineering and Technology participated in the Asian Youth Energy Summit 2014, held at the National University of Singapore. Ammar Bahksh of Electrical Engineering and Adnan Alam of Mechanical Engineering represented the Zakir Husain College of Engineering and Technology. Adnan Alam’s essay on Energy Capitalization by South East Asia was judged to be the best. Both also participated in a group activity in devising ways to promote energy sustainability. Their group was selected as the top performer.

Glimpses into the Past History of AMU
President Ayub Khan of Pakistan reminisces about his days at Aligarh Muslim University.

Mohammad Ayub Khan (1907-1974) enrolled at Aligarh Muslim University in 1922, but left before completing his degree as he was selected for the officers’ training course at Sandhurst Military Academy in England. He died at a relatively young age of 66 years. Following are his impressions of Aligarh of his days:
“When I arrived in Aligarh, I found a group of four empty hostels, called Minto Circle, set in a very isolated area. It was almost a jungle and for company, apart from some Chowkidars, we had only jackals, pye dogs and wild animals. Aligarh was unique in many respects. I found there were boys from many parts of India, Iran and African countries. They were drawn from widely social backgrounds and spoke differing dialects and languages, but had to learn to adjust themselves to the atmosphere of Aligarh. Some found life too hard and exacting and ran away. But for those who stayed, there was a great feeling of equality, brotherhood and camaraderie. Then, there were some who never wanted to leave the place. Someone I knew had sat in his examination nine times, and had failed every time. He would say, I am the only one here who takes his examinations without any personal motives.
I suffered from a handicap, my accent and pronunciation of Urdu was a little odd and I would mix my genders. Some students were quietly amused, but I could never understand the cause of their amusement. I would feel quite unhappy at times, but gradually I improved my Urdu pronunciation and they got accustomed to it.
Discipline and behavior in Aligarh was largely the concern of the students themselves. The masters were kind and helpful, but they concentrated on teaching. The routine duties, including the arrangement for food, as well as dress and behavior were the responsibility of senior students. And, they were hard task-masters and very severe on anyone who did not maintain the standards and traditions of Aligarh.
I don’t know how much I learnt in the way of academic studies, but I did learn how to live with people of differing origins and backgrounds and how to understand their points of view. Aligarh has always remained a place of pilgrimage for me

(Excerpted from “Friends not Masters”, Ayub Khan, Oxford University Press, 1967)
Syed Amir 

(Editor)                                                       Khurshid Usmani
 (Web)
Fazal Khan (President, EC)                                       Tariq Farooqi (Chairman, BOT)
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